Which Wavebox? (Or Vortech)

GreenSpottedPuffer · #1 01-16-2009, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fkshiu

I doubt the nano would work very well with a 6' tank. You could ask Roger Vitko to be sure.

I actually run a Wavebox with an external Herbie overflow on the opposite end. After much experimentation I found that the best way to keep the overflow silent is to have the overflow filled to the top of the emergency drain with just a trickle of water going down the emergency drain. If the water level is any lower the waves that the wavebox creates makes a lot of noise as they constantly wash over the edge and down into the overflow.

Tunze actually recommends a center overflow with a wavebox to minimize the effect of the waves on the draining action of the overflow.

If you were to go with the vortech, it would look even uglier than the wavebox if you had to put it on the exposed end of the tank because of the wires hanging on the OUTSIDE of the tank.

Yes thats my problem with the Vortech. I actually DON"T want the wires outside the tank! But I can have the cord go up to my canopy instead of down. Still not going to look too good though.

I think either way its going to look bad but the wavebox will be a bit easier on the eyes and also give better flow. Right now I have two ugly powerheads on that side of the tank anyways!

Sounds like I would have to go with the regular wavebox. I just though I may be able to get away with the smaller one since the tank is so shallow.

GreenSpottedPuffer · #2 01-16-2009, 07:19 AM

Yeah the guys in the Tunze forum over at RC are saying it would not preform right on a 6' tank. So either the regular size one or the Vortech. Hmmmm....

RuGlu6 · #3 01-16-2009, 10:15 AM

What about having a wave box on the wall side of the room and not out in the open side?
It will work as wel as on the oposite side and you dont have to run the cables over the tank.

GreenSpottedPuffer · #4 01-16-2009, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RuGlu6

What about having a wave box on the wall side of the room and not out in the open side?
It will work as wel as on the oposite side and you dont have to run the cables over the tank.

Yes this would be ideal but because of a very large monti cap that take up the entire end of the tank, there is no room. If I moved that cap, it would look ugly anywhere else in the tank...it has started to grow up the wall. It needs to be against a back wall of the tank so you don't see behind it. Although maybe seeing behind it would still be nicer than seeing equipment!

So basically just aesthetic reasons.

Anyone using a MP40 know if it will create a wave across a 6' tank?

Whatigot · #5 01-16-2009, 04:02 PM

any chance you could run a nano and then a second nano inline?

MY nano rocks my 48' 72 gallon.
I'm getting a 95 (48X18X24) this weekend and don't expect it to do any less of a fantastic job...

GreenSpottedPuffer · #6 01-16-2009, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whatigot

any chance you could run a nano and then a second nano inline?

MY nano rocks my 48' 72 gallon.
I'm getting a 95 (48X18X24) this weekend and don't expect it to do any less of a fantastic job...

That was something else that crossed my mind.

I think I am starting to wonder though if I want a big black box in my tank

In most tanks you can hide them quite easily in a back corner. But my tank does not have a back corner. Its viewable from actually all 4 sides. The side I say is against a wall is actually not against a wall but faces a little alcove in the wall where my ATO and some equipment is.

Even if I re-aquascaped and moved the big cap or sold it, I can't put the wavebox on that end of the tank because it will interfere with my overflow. Hard to explain but I have looked into it and it will not work.

So...I have to keep most of the flow coming from the one side of the tank which mean powerheads kind of suck. I don't want continuous flow. The best reef tanks you see around have much more random and back and forth flow, which you really only get from a wavebox or closed loop with some kind of wavemaker. Or I guess controllable powerheads. I am just not convinced that any powerhead is going to give me the flow I want down the entire tank.

Whatigot · #7 01-16-2009, 07:12 PM

you don't even notice the nano...
Honestly, it is so slim, 2 would not take up much real estate at all.

GreenSpottedPuffer · #8 01-16-2009, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whatigot

you don't even notice the nano...
Honestly, it is so slim, 2 would not take up much real estate at all.

I have seen them and agree but if you saw my tank, you would understand

It would have to go where the tank sticks out into the living room and that side of the tank has no LR really or anything. Its a open sandy area. It would be quite noticeable

I thought that since I have powerheads anyways, maybe it wouldn't be a big deal but I measured and its big for that space. At least with the powerheads, they can stay just closer to the surface and are not as noticeable. The tank is quite shallow, so the wave box will look even bigger.

The regular one will look massive in that side of the tank. I just think it maybe defeats the purpose of having a peninsula tank with a box on the end.

I think in the end, a closed loop would have been the way to go. The tank is actually drilled for one and the intake is just capped but it would be a big deal I think to plumb it with the tank already full

Too risky for me anyways since the intake is on the bottom of the tank.

Whatigot · #9 01-16-2009, 07:31 PM

I hate it when you're faced with the possibility of a tank being emptied, and consequently, a tank redo that always seems to spring from it.

It sounds like you really want to do the closed loop...
sux that it might not be the most practical though.

GreenSpottedPuffer · #10 01-16-2009, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whatigot

I hate it when you're faced with the possibility of a tank being emptied, and consequently, a tank redo that always seems to spring from it.

It sounds like you really want to do the closed loop...
sux that it might not be the most practical though.

Its not practical at all unless I take the tank down and redo the plumbing

which is not an option. The closed loop would have been probably the cheapest way to go too!

Maybe for now I will just find a cheaper solution to adding more flow until I figure things out. I don't really want to spend $600-700 plus on a wavebox or two and then find out I hate how they look. I would go with two Vortechs but man...$1000 plus taxes? I don't think its worth that.

I do need to up the flow in the tank somehow until I figure out what to do.